Flanged containers are produced in very large quantities. The cup that includes the body and all or part of the upper face of the container is generally produced by thermoforming from a plastic sheet in a mold. The containers are formed simultaneously and their outer rims (at the flange) remain joined together. Such method makes it possible to produce particularly inexpensive packaging containers, while at the same time adhering to the hygiene standards necessary for food products.
Decorative bands are used to modify the appearance of a container and/or to provide an information support.
Decorative bands for thermoformed containers have hitherto had an elongate rectangular shape. They are generally cut out from a strip of thin material, such as paper, which is printed and stored in the form of a roll, before the bands are cut out. Flanged containers provided with a decorative band that may cover all or part of a side wall that tapers downwardly are commercially available. The band is applied by introduction in a mold of a material of thermofoil that will adhere to the outer face of the side wall upon thermoforming.
Flanged containers may be arranged in a pack. Regarding the thermoforming to form the volume, the plastic sheet is heated and then drawn into a cavity by vacuum and/or pressure. As the sheet is drawn into the cavity, the thickness of the portion of the sheet drawn into the cavity is reduced as the sheet material is stretched into the cavity. With such a method, the side wall of the body is thin, while the flange has the same thickness and the same rigidity as the original sheet of plastic. As the flange is thin and planar, the body essentially defines the height of the container. The unit cost of each packaging can be decreased by producing such flanged containers of relatively low thickness, but without impairing its strength and its aesthetic characteristics.
Besides, in food industry, the plastic containers can be stacked on top of one another so as to form stacks which can be layered on a pallet. A loading weight on a pallet may be much more than 500 kg. Such stacks allow the packaging items to withstand the compressive load of the packaging items on top. Accordingly, it is not easy to reduce the thickness of the different components of the containers and thus there is a need for solutions allowing plastic material to be saved.
The technology FFS (Form, Fill and Seal) is typically used to produce at high rate conventional containers grouped in packs and each sealed conventionally by a flexible closure lid (membrane). The machines using FFS technology are known as reliable to produce packs of flanged containers at high rate. It also allows fixing of paper-based decorative bands for improved appearance of the containers. It is understood that saving plastic material and need for improving the aesthetical aspect of the containers are contradictory requirements.
When securing a decorative band around the side wall of containers, an accurate positioning of the decorative band has to be performed. Especially, the decorative band should ideally:                be located a the same height level because a difference of level inside a same pack of containers would be perceived as a defect by a consumer,        extend around the side wall by defining a constant thickness, preferably without any overlap.        
Accordingly, there is an interest for producing food products having very good appearances and well adapted to be produced by the most efficient industrial processes, for example adapted to multipack and/or FFS productions.
Document WO 2014/006033 A1 discloses a container tapering downwardly sleeving method, having appropriate processing speed and suitable to define a rectangular decorative band. The sleeve is made of a heat shrinkable film. Labelling operations are carried out using processes that require the formation of a tube or sleeve of the heat shrink film that is placed over the container and heated in order to shrink the film to conform to the size and shape of the container. For accuracy of the positioning, a plate or a belt is used to define a sleeve support until shrinkage of the film occurs. Such sleeving method prevents inverting the containers or similar complicated operation when a band shaped label has to be unrolled and cut. This document discloses that partial sleeves can be used. But in such case there is need of free volume around the cups (in order to bear the sleeves and prevent any fall before the heating).
Besides, consumers are attracted by the appearance of containers having enlarged cross sections in a part distant from the wide opening, optionally presenting a bulge. On another hand consumers are also used to having containers with a decorative banderole. There is a need for means to vary the visual appearance of containers having sidewalls with such enlarged cross sections, optionally presenting a bulge, and/or for providing containers having a decorative banderole and sidewalls tapering upwardly, preferably with a good productivity.
More generally, there is a need to provide containers that can be produced at high rate (typically flanged containers that can be optionally sold in packs), while having very good appearances and optimizing the amount of plastic to be used.